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Post by redbeard2008 on Nov 7, 2015 16:50:45 GMT -5
That whole Washington State vs Washington DC story, I don't by it. This is the 21st century. Would you honestly go to a foreign country and not know exactly where you're going? It's not like the United States isn't the most widely studied country in the world. Tomasevic was smart enough to enroll in one the best universities in the world, but she can't read a plane ticket or look at a map? Ummm ok. She's the one who said she thought she was going to Washington D.C. She was in a war zone and probably was happy just to have a ticket out. To wherever.
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Post by dawgnerd on Nov 7, 2015 17:48:42 GMT -5
Yes, recruiting will not really be known for a while, but he has passed the first test by not getting a bunch of reversed commitments or leaving players (a la UCLA). From whatever I have heard, he is very strongly backed by his current players and has held onto existing commitments. This year's success should not hurt in that department.
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Post by dawgnerd on Nov 7, 2015 18:03:37 GMT -5
On the other hand, Cook has had an impressive first season, making some decisions that have worked out very well (getting more production out of Sybeldon by slowing the middle down), adjusting to a series of players going out for different period with creativity, and learning from both the things that go right and those that go wrong (first set at USC). No complaints here.
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Post by alwayslearning on Nov 7, 2015 18:37:24 GMT -5
To those whose only response is that the jury is still out, recruiting is critical, let's see where the team is in 3-4 years -- well, those are pretty non-controversial statements. But if that's your only response, then you are missing a pretty good story unfolding here. Cook has taken a team with a lot of talent, some of it relatively undeveloped, and taken it up a notch. He also lost a ton of talent in Vansant and Nelson. Some were predicting a middle of the Pac finish. IMO, he's shown flexibility, creativity, and a willingness to experiment. I think the team is now better than last year's team (or other recent teams under JMac) in terms of overall team defense -- and that definitely was not the case early in the season. The players have bought in big time. I give Cook a good deal of credit.
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Post by ay2013 on Nov 7, 2015 19:04:59 GMT -5
To those whose only response is that the jury is still out, recruiting is critical, let's see where the team is in 3-4 years -- well, those are pretty non-controversial statements. But if that's your only response, then you are missing a pretty good story unfolding here. Cook has taken a team with a lot of talent, some of it relatively undeveloped, and taken it up a notch. He also lost a ton of talent in Vansant and Nelson. Some were predicting a middle of the Pac finish. IMO, he's shown flexibility, creativity, and a willingness to experiment. I think the team is now better than last year's team (or other recent teams under JMac) in terms of overall team defense -- and that definitely was not the case early in the season. The players have bought in big time. I give Cook a good deal of credit. a few things here. I don't think anyone's "ONLY" response is recruiting, just that we don't think a fair assessment can be made until he actually recruits. I think we all thought JMac was a great coach and built a fantastic program, so it would be absolutely stupid to suggest that he would put people in his inner circle who couldn't develop talent and produce results on the volleyball court on par with other great programs. Also, it's not like Cook is brand new to this program. He's worked with all of these players (save the freshmen) for the past 2 years. Also, who are these players you speak of that are "relatively undeveloped" and he "took it up a notch." Sybeldon had already flourished into a monster in the middle, every other starter came pretty highly ranked with a ton of high level prep experience, some even international. How much of what you are seeing is just another year of experience? 4 of the current starters were freshmen last year, are them playing better really an attribute to the coaching or is it more that players usually tend to get better after their freshmen year? I think it's great that he kept the team intact and was able to hold on to future recruits (though that second part is unsubstantiated because we don't know who else the program were in talks with prior to JMac's departure), all the credit for that, but, for now, I think that's as far as it goes, other than the usual coaching you would expect. Also, I don't recall any knowledgeable husky fans that were predicting a middle of the Pac finish THIS year. Most felt, as I do, that Washington still had powerful pieces, and that the Pac-12 would be down this year. Next year, however, is a different story, and some, including myself, were predicting a middle finish (which still could very well happen). I also agree that the defense is better, but, again, how much of that is the learning curb of Strickland having a year of experience under her belt at her new position? She wasn't very good for half the season last year either but then got better as the season progressed, or Scambray becoming more comfortable with the speed and power of the college game, ditto for Tanner, or Schwan settling in to her new starting role? I'm not saying that Cook hasn't tweaked defensive practices and schemes, but to suggest that mere experience from a largely freshmen campaign to a year later doesn't have an impact is kind of narrow minded.
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Post by alwayslearning on Nov 7, 2015 19:35:23 GMT -5
Maybe your "only" response hasn't been "the jury is still out," but I've seen very little in the way of praise from you, ay2013.
I think praise is due and that we shouldn't take Cook's efforts for granted because he was picked by JMac as part of his "inner circle." Nor do I think that the team's success is largely attributable to players getting older and meeting routine expectations for development.
Which players were "relatively undeveloped"? Well, you can point to a number of players who had very little (or no) game experience under JMac. Schwan, DeHoog, and Julye all fit that description and each has contributed very significantly to the team's success. Tanner had never played front row and played a critical role in UW's biggest win of the year doing just that. Did we all just assume these players would make the contributions they have? Not me. I'm not saying that everything positive is attributable to Cook, but he IS running the show. You admit that team defense is better but argue that with another year under Strickland's and others' belts, that should be expected as well. Well, I'm not making those assumptions and I would argue that the entire team's defense is better, and that includes the efforts of the setters, Schwan, and Condie, in addition to Strickland and Scambray.
Can a "fair assessment" of Cook's coaching ability, apart from recruiting, be made based on results to date? Yes. Has it been better than "the usual coaching you would expect"? Yes. Does that mean he will be a perennial candidate for Pac 12 Coach of the Year? Maybe not. But let's not shortchange a damn good start.
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Post by tomclen on Nov 7, 2015 19:58:36 GMT -5
I'd suspect if you give every UW fan a truth serum, he or she would have admitted to being very nervous about what was going to happen when JMac left, and just as nervous when Cook was named coach.
Add to that the departures of both Nelson and Vansant - and the drumbeat of "you can't replace a Vansant." Let's face it, the wheels could have easily come off the cart. If the Huskies were at .500 in conference right now, I don't think too many people would be stunned. This team underwent dramatic changes.
But the defense is dramatically improved, despite not having Vansant for six rotations. And Cook had a lineup in place that was completely upended with the injuries to Schwann and DeHoog. But he filled both those slots and the team has actually improved.
I was skittish at first over Cook's slow trigger on time-outs and his reluctance to reign in Strickland when her serving has been erratic. (By the way, I don't care who says Strickland can't be libero of the year and who might be technically better at the position, there's not a libero in the country I'd take over her because of all the intangibles, spark, fire and motivation she brings to the team.)
Cook also seems to be much more willing to utilize the bench. I don't think you would have seen McGraw come in and serve 6 straight points in a Pac12 match under JMac.
JMac was a UW legend. An icon. And the conventional wisdom in all of sports is you don't want to replace an icon. You want to replace the person who replaced the icon. And it's too soon to know if Cook can have the sustained success that JMac had. But I don't think it's sufficient to say Cook is off to a good start, or even a great start. He's off to a spectacular start.
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Post by ay2013 on Nov 7, 2015 20:05:18 GMT -5
Maybe your "only" response hasn't been "the jury is still out," but I've seen very little in the way of praise from you, ay2013. I think praise is due and that we shouldn't take Cook's efforts for granted because he was picked by JMac as part of his "inner circle." Nor do I think that the team's success is largely attributable to players getting older and meeting routine expectations for development. Which players were "relatively undeveloped"? Well, you can point to a number of players who had very little (or no) game experience under JMac. Schwan, DeHoog, and Julye all fit that description and each has contributed very significantly to the team's success. Tanner had never played front row and played a critical role in UW's biggest win of the year doing just that. Did we all just assume these players would make the contributions they have? Not me. I'm not saying that everything positive is attributable to Cook, but he IS running the show. You admit that team defense is better but argue that with another year under Strickland's and others' belts, that should be expected as well. Well, I'm not making those assumptions and I would argue that the entire team's defense is better, and that includes the efforts of the setters, Schwan, and Condie, in addition to Strickland and Scambray. Can a "fair assessment" of Cook's coaching ability, apart from recruiting, be made based on results to date? Yes. Has it been better than "the usual coaching you would expect"? Yes. Does that mean he will be a perennial candidate for Pac 12 Coach of the Year? Maybe not. But let's not shortchange a damn good start. I think it's a GREAT start for his tenure as coach. Couldn't have asked for better, this much isn't debatable. Perhaps you don't see the "praise" because IMO what he's largely done should be EXPECTED from a program like Washington. Like I said, I'm really glad he kept the players intact, but he did inherit a solid core group of players and he's anything but a new face in the program. Everyone has their own ways of expressing their views. Frankly for me, if I'm not criticizing (which I don't really think I have regarding Cook this season), it means I think you are doing what you should be doing. Some people need constant positive feedback to feel like they are doing a good job, I'm not one of those people. I do think Cook is doing a great job, but so far it's the job I would have expected given all the pieces (hired within the program, plenty of returning players, down Pac-12 year). I still don't see the relatively undeveloped argument for the players you mentioned. Firstly, Julye wasn't even around last year, and I doubt you saw her prep play, so can anyone really make a fair assessment of her improvements on the court? Schwan certainly wasn't "bad" last year, but, again, considering she was true frosh, I'm not really sure where the comparison is coming from. She was ALWAYS going to sit behind Vansant and Nelson. The question on her last year was whether or not she was a better block than Jones (she wasn't, and still isn't) or whether she was a better backcourt player than Scambray (she wasn't, and still isn't). Sure those gaps are closing, but I just don't see how you can make a fair assessment of Cook's time with Schwan this year versus Jmac's time with Schwan last year because IMO the situations were completely different. Dehoog I'll give you, though I still think that considering she didn't play at all last year (largely because of DEPTH), it's a little hard to compare. And it's a little sad you didn't assume these players would make strides to get better and make more contributions. Frankly, regardless of the coach, I'd expect all the huskies to make improvements in their game.
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Post by alwayslearning on Nov 7, 2015 20:32:43 GMT -5
Fair enough, ay. Of course we expect improvements but as tomclen points out, it is the DEGREE of improvement we are talking about here over what might have been expected. We can't know for sure how players would have performed under JMac or anyone else, but it's hard to argue with the performances we are seeing and the results to date. It really is nothing short of spectacular. FWIW, I think credit should also go to Leslie Gabriel, and the other coaches and volunteers. I also think Melanie Wade deserves some credit. There's a reason she was the unanimous choice for captain.
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Post by dawgnerd on Nov 7, 2015 21:05:05 GMT -5
One innovation that I give Cook huge credit for is the slow middle attack. It goes completely against the history of fast middles if you have the hitters and setters to make it work and the trend to speed up all parts of the offense. It originally looked like a throwback or something that only lower level teams would commonly use and I was certainly highly skeptical (and said it here). However, it has really allowed the setters to use Sybeldon (and also Wade) on more passes (taking maximum advantage of a team strength), allowed those middles to see the blocks and defenses better and given opposing defenses a problem that they are not accustomed to dealing with. It is a departure from the safe, or at least common, practice and has yielded huge benefits. (Is any other top 25 team doing this?)
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Post by redbeard2008 on Nov 7, 2015 21:14:30 GMT -5
It isn't like Cook didn't inherit a team with a LOT of talent, including three top-15, seven top-25, nine top-50, and ten top-100 Senior Aces.
Senior Aces:
#9 Tia Scambray (US Youth National Team, Team USA U18/U23) #14 Crissy Jones (Sophomore National Player of the Year) #15 Bailey Tanner #17 Melanie Wade (1st Team AA MaxPreps, ESPNHS & AVCA) #18 Carly DeHoog #19 Courtney Schwan (US Junior National Team, 1st Team AA MaxPreps & AVCA) #22 Katy Beals (1st Team AA MaxPreps, ESPNHS & AVCA) #45 Lianna Sybeldon (2nd Team AA AVCA) #50 Cassie Strickland (1st Team AA ESPNHS) #79 Destiny Julye
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Post by vllybll09 on Nov 7, 2015 21:27:58 GMT -5
Fair enough, ay. Of course we expect improvements but as tomclen points out, it is the DEGREE of improvement we are talking about here over what might have been expected. We can't know for sure how players would have performed under JMac or anyone else, but it's hard to argue with the performances we are seeing and the results to date. It really is nothing short of spectacular. FWIW, I think credit should also go to Leslie Gabriel, and the other coaches and volunteers. I also think Melanie Wade deserves some credit. There's a reason she was the unanimous choice for captain. Strickland and Wade are co-captains FYI
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Post by ay2013 on Nov 7, 2015 21:36:01 GMT -5
Fair enough, ay. Of course we expect improvements but as tomclen points out, it is the DEGREE of improvement we are talking about here over what might have been expected. We can't know for sure how players would have performed under JMac or anyone else, but it's hard to argue with the performances we are seeing and the results to date. It really is nothing short of spectacular. FWIW, I think credit should also go to Leslie Gabriel, and the other coaches and volunteers. I also think Melanie Wade deserves some credit. There's a reason she was the unanimous choice for captain. agreed
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Post by zenyada on Nov 7, 2015 22:16:00 GMT -5
I'd suspect if you give every UW fan a truth serum, he or she would have admitted to being very nervous about what was going to happen when JMac left, and just as nervous when Cook was named coach. Add to that the departures of both Nelson and Vansant - and the drumbeat of "you can't replace a Vansant." Let's face it, the wheels could have easily come off the cart. If the Huskies were at .500 in conference right now, I don't think too many people would be stunned. This team underwent dramatic changes. But the defense is dramatically improved, despite not having Vansant for six rotations. And Cook had a lineup in place that was completely upended with the injuries to Schwann and DeHoog. But he filled both those slots and the team has actually improved. I was skittish at first over Cook's slow trigger on time-outs and his reluctance to reign in Strickland when her serving has been erratic. (By the way, I don't care who says Strickland can't be libero of the year and who might be technically better at the position, there's not a libero in the country I'd take over her because of all the intangibles, spark, fire and motivation she brings to the team.) Cook also seems to be much more willing to utilize the bench. I don't think you would have seen McGraw come in and serve 6 straight points in a Pac12 match under JMac. JMac was a UW legend. An icon. And the conventional wisdom in all of sports is you don't want to replace an icon. You want to replace the person who replaced the icon. And it's too soon to know if Cook can have the sustained success that JMac had. But I don't think it's sufficient to say Cook is off to a good start, or even a great start. He's off to a spectacular start. Cook is doing a great job, pushing a lot of the right buttons. "By the way, I don't care who says Strickland can't be libero of the year and who might be technically better at the position, there's not a libero in the country I'd take over her because of all the intangibles, spark, fire and motivation she brings to the team." Agree Strickland's bringing a Hagglund type leadership quality (if not skills) after Vansant's graduation. I'm inclined to pair Condie in any discussion about improved D, and there's certainly no confusing Strickland's serve with Bricio or Hancock. It's a liability. I would love for UW to make a deep run. Sybeldon is having an all world year, and Tanner, Scambray, Scwhan, DeHoog seem to be growing in effectiveness as the season goes along. Credit to Cook. Huskies are fun to watch.
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Post by c4ndlelight on Nov 7, 2015 22:48:44 GMT -5
One innovation that I give Cook huge credit for is the slow middle attack. It goes completely against the history of fast middles if you have the hitters and setters to make it work and the trend to speed up all parts of the offense. It originally looked like a throwback or something that only lower level teams would commonly use and I was certainly highly skeptical (and said it here). However, it has really allowed the setters to use Sybeldon (and also Wade) on more passes (taking maximum advantage of a team strength), allowed those middles to see the blocks and defenses better and given opposing defenses a problem that they are not accustomed to dealing with. It is a departure from the safe, or at least common, practice and has yielded huge benefits. (Is any other top 25 team doing this?) Keegan Cook borrowed the slow middle from his old program St. Mary's. They have done that for quite some time.
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